Theory Tuesdays is a non-academic platform for theoretical discussion founded, organized and coordinated by artist Philip Matesic since 2009. Participants read beforehand then discuss contemporary art, design, literary, cultural and critical theory texts on a weekly basis, with the texts selected and introduced each week by a different person. The platform has operated under this “Each One, Teach One“ philosophy since its conception.

Session 150: “Bomb The Suburbs” by William Upski Wimsatt

During this Theory Tuesdays session, Rémi Jaccard presented excerpts from the book “Bomb The Suburbs” by William Upski Wimsatt (Subway & Elevated Press, 1994). Tupac Shakur is quoted saying this was “The BEST book I read in prison”.

“Should graffiti writers organize to tear up the cities, or should they really be bombing the ‘burbs? That’s the question posed by William Upski Wimsatt in his seminal foray into the world of hip-hop, rap, and street art, and the culture and politics that surround it. But to say that the book deals only with taggers and hip-hop is selling it short. Taking on a broad range of topics, including suburban sprawl, racial identity, and youth activism, Wimsatt (a graffiti artist himself) uses a kaleidoscopic approach that combines stories, cartoons, interviews, disses, parodies, and original research to challenge the suburban mindset wherever it’s found: suburbs and corporate headquarters, inner cities and housing projects, even in hip-hop itself. -Book Cover